June 30, 2010

You really shouldn't take random pictures of homeless people with any sort of crazy look in their eyes. I should learn this lesson quickly, but I haven't yet.

Is it any surprise that instead of thanking me for taking such a wonderful portrait that this guy/woman, proceeded to scream obscenities at me (including the wonderful blog title above) in broad daylight and literally chase me down the street? I had to actually run away. I took off in the direction of the Museum of Modern Art and deftly eluded capture. You know you don't have a great picture until you have to run to get it.

I see this guy around a lot in my neighborhood. In 85 degree heat he's usually seen dressed in his stylish bright red jacket and scarf while lugging a couple of roller suitcases filled with God knows what. Most notably though, if you're lucky to catch him on a good day, you'll see him/her with a full face of lipstick smeared all around his lips. It's crazy interesting so if you have an extra compact to donate to the homeless, I know someone in need.

We had a really fun time hanging out and signing books at Gagosian. They have an amazing selection of books, limited edition posters and prints and all sorts of stuff I would want to buy. Everyone was really nice at the shop and John told a bunch of great stories about the time he spent with Marilyn Monroe back in the 1950s. After the signing we went out for a celebratory dinner at Elaine's way up on the Upper East Side.

June 22, 2010

When you visit New York, you definitely want to drive around in a truck that makes a statement. I saw this one parked in front of the New York office building for the Director's Guild of America on 57th Street which is where Sienna always gets a legal parking spot.

This location is close to the Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien where every star visiting the area grabs a burger and fries. It's also only a block or two down the street if she needs to run in and pick up something at Bergdorf Goodman, Louis Vuitton, Chanel or even the Apple Store.

June 11, 2010

After you live in the New York City for a while, you come to realize that nearly anything goes here. So if you are planning a NYC destination wedding (assuming you have to get married), you might as well make the very most of it. Thus, it's totally a-OK if that involves taking your wedding photographs during a mid-week rush hour in Midtown.

When you and your spouse-to-be come to New York to get married you're definitely going to get those precious photographs of the two of you that you'll cherish for a lifetime. You only have to make sure you do it just right.

For best results, I recommend that you pick the absolute busiest time of the day. A few minutes after 5pm is ideal for the perfect light and catching hundreds of thousands of people headed out of work in the concrete jungle. Also make sure you take your photographs smack in the middle of Midtown right next to one of the most photographed landmark art sculptures in the city as well. You'll also want to commandeer a super busy bus stop, push everyone out of the way and work around the tourists and elderly gentlemen waiting for the Uptown local. No one will mind one bit. Of course, you should try to ignore the extremely smelly homeless man who's been using the bench as his see-through bedroom. Also don't worry if there are multiple bags of trash strewn carelessly about the sidewalk. You'll probably want to photoshop these out of your photos, but I think all this adds to the realism of the location.

I didn't intend to be a wedding photographer, but I think I got the shot.